Mile 39 of the Ink Marathon

A rainy day is a good day for blogging. Weather forecast says we’re in for a rainy week, so look for more frequent posts over the next few days…

Swisher Dark Purple (made by Noodler’s) is one of the few purple inks I think I could see myself using– at least, in color. It’s a blue-based purple with no shading, bright but not obnoxious. But how on earth does an ink bleed on Rhodia paper? Ah, yes, it’s a quick-drying ink, and such quick absorbency means that it will bleed. I’ll have to try this in a dry-writing fountain pen, and then get back to this review.

J. Herbin Encre Violette is, I know, only slightly different from Swisher Dark Purple. Yet for some reason I find it totally obnoxious, like a Barney purple. It’s nearly the same value as Dark Purple (i.e. equally dark), but less blue and more of a true purple. The smell of this ink, by the way, is nauseating.

Noodler’s Lermontov is from the “Russian series,” a set of inks which all have a strange, milky transparency to them. It’s as though they’re bright, even saturated, but still seem a bit transparent. Lermentov is a light purple leaning towards pink.

Noodler’s Akhmatova, also from the Russian series, is almost identical to Lermentov in brightness, saturation, and still strangely transparent. The only difference, of course, is that it’s kermit-the-frog green.

Levenger Gemstone Green falls into the same family as J. Herbin’s Vert Reseda, Diabolo Menthe, and Diamine’s steel blue. They are all true teals, and Levenger’s Gemstone Green is the darkest. Like other Levenger inks, it’s very saturated and has no shading.

Levenger Amethyst is like a darker, classier version of J.Herbin’s Encre Violette at the top of the page. Still a true purple, but deeper and more saturated– and, I would guess, more appropriate for Levenger’s clientele (i.e. conservative professionals).

Levenger Cobalt Blue is a true blue, which is something you don’t see often in inks. It doesn’t have the vitality of Private Reserve’s Electric DC Blue or PR’s Black Magic Blue, but it’s along those lines. To me, it just feels… basic.